It is sometimes difficult to locate released/shot arrows, especially at low light and/or in dense forest or brush. Camouflage or neutral colored arrows shot by the hunter can become lodged in undergrowth making the arrow difficult to find. As a result, expensive arrows are lost and must be replaced, thus raising the expenses of a hunter. Accordingly, there is a need for a device that solves the aforementioned deficiencies and aids a hunter in retrieving a released/shot arrow.
Several alternatives have been offered to solve the aforementioned problems, including the disclosures of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,340,930, 4,421,319 and 4,547,837, which collectively describe and disclose audible or visual signals incorporated into a hunting arrow for location and retrieval of the arrow. Of particular interest is U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,792, issued to Phillip Hardison, which discloses an archer's arrow having a chemical light source for aiding in locating the arrow after the arrow has been shot from a bow. In particular, what is described and claimed is an arrow having a nock within which the chemical light source is placed. The nock has an end (insert) that attaches to the shaft, a notch at an opposing end for receiving the bow string, and a cavity formed in the nock body for receiving and housing a chemiluminescent lightstick. The lightstick is held in place by a pair of backstop plates located off center at opposing ends of the cavity.
The present invention overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art and provides enhanced visibility of an arrow shot from a bow. The result is an advantage for the hunter to watch the flight and the direction of the arrow, which helps in the finding and the retrieval of expended arrows, thus saving the hunter the expense of replacing lost arrows. The present invention addresses the recent changes that have been made in nocks, so that the nock is more internally located within arrow and arrow shaft, and thus less susceptible to damage or accidental removal from the arrow shaft. The present invention is lighter than existing products, thus providing an added advantage of reducing the affects of added weight on the speed and arrow performance of a shot arrow. This is also a less expensive alternative to current marketed products, since added weight increases the expense and cost of existing lighted nock inventions.
The present invention provides an unanticipated and nonobvious improvement over the Hardison patent. In one embodiment of the present invention, one unanticipated and nonobvious improvement is the element and feature of a recess formed in the insert and the body of the nock into which an activated chemiluminescent lightstick is inserted and frictionally impinged therein. The lightstick is partially enveloped by the insert and the body of the nock when the lightstick is initially inserted into the insert and body. After the nock is then inserted into the end of the arrow shaft, the lightstick is completely enveloped by the combination of the arrow shaft, the insert and the body of the nock, thus protecting the lightstick from easily falling out of the nock. The present invention also does not require the use or need for backstop plates to retain the lightstick, which reduces the cost of manufacturing and the ease of assembly and disassembly when compared to the elements required in the Hardison patent.
In another embodiment of the present invention, another unanticipated and nonobvious improvement is the elements and features of a nock having a chamber in which a first compartment and a second compartment are positioned, the compartments housing chemicals, that when mixed, will generate a chemiluminescent light. One compartment is formed of a material that may be pierced, punctured, ruptured, fractured or otherwise broken so that the chemicals from the respective compartments are mixed to generate the light.
As such, the aforementioned description illustrates the differences, distinctions and advantages provided by the present invention in light of the prior art. Thus, the present invention is an improvement over the prior art, fulfilling a need and overcoming the deficiencies described and inherent in the prior art.